Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Daimoku

I
was going through a lot of files I have from when I first found Kempon
Hokke. This is an essay written by H. Graham Lamont...I think you will
find it interesting. If you re-post this elsewhere, please acknowledge
Mr. Lamont as the author.

Kanjin Honzon Sho. “Entrustment
means: it is this Sutra that is only entrusted to the Bodhisattvas Who
Sprang Forth From Beneath the Earth . . .” (STN, v.1, 717)

The
meaning is clear. The Daimoku is the Dharma entrusted to the
Bodhisattvas Who Sprang from the Earth. Such an interpretation agrees
entirely with the Sutra, as cited above, and is reasonable. The Eternal
Buddha, who is ever present but hides His Presence, entrusts His Dharma,
“Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” to His Own Disciples from the most distant past.

Daimoku is the Dharma, not the Buddha. “On Upbraiding Blasphemy
Against the Dharma and Extinguishing sins” (Kashaku hobo metsuzai sho)
says, “During more than two thousand two hundred years it is the painted
images and wooden images of the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya that
worthy kings and saintly rulers have taken as the Object of Worship.
However, although it was only the Buddhas of the Lesser Vehicle, and of
the Kegon, the Nehan (Nirvana), the Kangyo, the Manifestation Doctrine
(Shakumon) of the Hokekyo, the Fugengyo, of the Great Vehicle, the
Buddha of the Dainichikyo in the Shingon, and Shakya and Taho of the
Chapter of the Jeweled Stupa that they wrote, the Lord Shakya of the
Chapter of the Measure of Life is not yet in the temples and monastic
residences.” (STN, v. 1, 784).

The Object of Worship, not yet
actually installed in Buddhist temples, is to be none other than the
Eternal Lord Shakya. The Dharma is the Daimoku and the ones who are
entrusted with that Dharma are the Bodhisattvas Who Sprang from the
Earth. The Daimoku is especially formed as the Essence of the Sutra by
the Buddha, Lord Shakya, and he has specifically summoned the
Bodhisattvas Who Sprang from the Earth and given His Own Inner
Realization (the unity of Wisdom and its Field or Object) in the form of
“Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” to them to spread at the beginning of this age
of the Latter Dharma.

It is obvious then:

1) The
source of the Daimoku which contains the Buddha’s Inner Realization
is Lord Shakya

2) That same Lord Shakya transfers this Daimoku to the
Bodhisattva Jogyo andhis fellow Bodhisattvas Who Sprang from the
Earth;

3) This transfer has already taken place as described in the
undeniable Sutratext referring to, forming the Essence, and its
Entrustment. In other words, thedoctrine was Sutra based;

4) Nichiren
Shonin modestly denies that he is actually that Bodhisattva butindicates
he is at least their forerunner.

Despite Nichiren Shonin’s
modesty, it is obvious from the other documents citedabove that he and
his immediate followers identified him as being preciselythat
Bodhisattva, who had received the Daimoku from Lord Shakyamuni.